ECI Telecom’s previous system, installed in 2006, had reached end of life. Slow performance meant it took an average of 17 minutes for file synchronization. This complex and inflexible system was also expensive to maintain. They were looking to invest in a product that did not require internal code customization to fit into their software environment. “We require a version management system that provides consistent high performance across multiple teams, platforms, and workflows. Helix meets that need,” Ravid Brown.

International Teams Unsupported with SVN and Git

Before deciding on Helix Core, ECI Telecom evaluated the market. Other systems were dismissed because of cost, complexity, or inability to effectively support C++ and Java. Open source tools such as Subversion (SVN) and Git did not support the demands of an international company. A Ravid Brown says, “Our work is mission-critical. Our products are used in national internet networks, so we need a reliable commercial system with robust support.”

Value for money – Helix Core was a fraction of the cost of the previous system

“While cost is important, it is the technical benefits that sold Helix to me. For instance, performance gains aren’t just about speed — they enabled us to improve productivity in lots of other ways,” says Ravid Brown.

Helix Core Performs

It took just six weeks with only three full-time ECI Telecom staff to install Helix Core. 300+ developers and 100 non-technical staff at ECI now have more automation across functions within the development environment, improved traceability and audit trials, and improved version management.

Since installation, ECI has observed Helix Core’s impact:

Full return on investment by the end of year two

Consolidated version management on one server with room to grow

Less time spent managing version control translates to increased productivity

“Feedback from users has been very positive. The only thing is that synching file versions takes just a couple of minutes compared to 17, so there is less reason to take a coffee break!”

Moving Forward

ECI Telecom is looking at moving to Jira for bug-tracking and Jenkins for continuous integration. This is part of the ALM team's strategy to use more off-the-shelf, enterprise-grade software tools that require less manual intervention or writing code in house.